amy lee looks just like me

What a funny week this is becoming! It has thus far been chock-full of memories, but also of hopeful looking-aheads. I don't know if I'm waxing philosophical because everyone else seems to be so focused on the approach of the second decade of the 21st century or what, but I will admit I'm buying into the hype at least a little.

For nostalgia, though, I mentioned earlier a memory of my mother making chicken cacciatore when I was growing up. I'm thrilled to say that my recent undertaking of making Seitan Cacciatore from The Accidental Vegan was an absolute success. I feel much more comfortable making weird, avant-garde dishes than I do when I try to replicate a traditional meal within the confines of vegan/vegetarian cooking. I guess there's always the reminder, poking my brain, that my husband's mother and father are both phenomenal cooks and he is used to eating very tasty things. I guess I'm a little worried that my seitan/tofu/tofurky version won't measure up to his childhood memories of the same foods.

Nothing to fear! I was very pleased with the way it came out, and Mister couldn't have been too disappointed - he went back for thirds! It also tasted nothing like my memory, but I equate seitan more with beef than with chicken.
True to form, tonight was One-Serving Wednesday. I think it needs a new name. I've given up on making small portions and have turned my focus to just eating everything Mister hates. My sweet potato fetish is becoming a weekly event - tonight I scrubbed and cubed another garnet yam and then tossed it with broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and a touch of salt. I wasn't really paying attention to how long it baked because I was preparing my tempeh. I haven't had tempeh since sometime this summer when Mister and I went to Horizons and I was really craving it. I was going to follow one of Isa's recipes for scrambled tempeh, but in the end here's what I did (perhaps it will find its way into recipe form at some point in the future):

Heated 2 Tbsp peanut oil and 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil in a large skillet. Added about a tsp of good curry powder (I favor Frontier brand), a tsp of dried cilantro and about 1/4 tsp dried thyme and sauteed it all for about a minute. I splashed in about a Tbsp of tamari, then added 8 oz tempeh cubes and stirred to coat. I covered the skillet and wandered around my kitchen for a few minutes, checking on the tempeh and the roasting vegetables. About three-four minutes into the tempeh cooking time, I added 1/4 c water, then cooked more or less until that evaporated/was absorbed into the tempeh. Then I took the roasted broccoli and yam out of the oven and added the tempeh, stirring to combine. Quite easy, actually.
The funniest thing happened today. We are currently working with some "outside consultants" to ensure we are completely prepared for what we hope will be an onslaught of business in the new year. I presented my part of the training today and later on, the leader of the pack said to my supervisor, "That Natalie...she looks a lot like the lead singer of Evanescence, doesn't she?"

I LOVE Amy Lee. There are not too many things you can say to compliment me more, aside from the time a new trainee was being seated with one of our veterans for some mentoring. Upon reaching his cubicle, she exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, you have a picture of Natalie on your cubicle? That's so awesome!" The picture was actually Megan Fox. I was flying high for the rest of the day.

Keep an open mind - I take my own crappy pictures ;)

Anyway, I remember waaaaayyy back in 2003 when Fallen came out. I took the CD to a bar my friend tended to show it to him. From about 10-15 feet distance he looked at the CD and then at me in surprise:
"You recorded a CD??"
To be completely honest, I had not noticed until that moment that in that moment we did indeed bear a striking resemblance to one another.

So, that was my happy moment today.

sweet potato? sweet tomato!

Can I start by saying that I still can't get over the fact that bananas melt? I love that little chocolate-covered blog for many reasons, but I think one of my favorites is that it opened my eyes to a whole new world of banana-eating.

Needless to say, I had a melted banana in my oatmeal this morning.

On my way to work I indulged in a rare treat - I got a peppermint Americano from Starbucks. I always remember why these treats are rare at the cash register... but it was worth every penny! Say what you want about Starbucks, but I appreciate their effort to promote fair trade and local farming.

Speaking of farming...we slaughtered us some chickpeas and olives tonight, while ripping out the hearts of palm and artichoke hearts...okay, that was a little graphic. I made the Mediterranean Chopped Salad for dinner tonight because it was 70 degrees in Philadelphia today. Yes, it's November. No, I don't think anyone told the weather. Anyway, it was fast, easy, and beautiful:
I'll admit, I cheated a little - those beautiful mixed greens came from one of those ready-to-eat salad bags. I opened the cans of artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and hearts of palm myself, though! There were two things that really stood out to me about this salad - the oil-cured black olives and the grape tomatoes.

By November, it's pretty safe to say tomato season is over. These little grape tomatoes would beg to differ, though, and they'd probably win. I was not expecting the honest-to-God sweet taste that filled my mouth when I bit down on one. Add to that the amazing contrast of dark, salty olives and it was an incredible salad. I also love the briny taste of the artichoke hearts and the chompy texture of the palmitos. This salad is so good with just these simple adornments, you wouldn't even notice that I left off the cubed mozzarella...I know Mister didn't!

kitchen by IKEA, dining room by Pier 1

I am so relieved that Pier 1 didn't actually go out of business when the whole financial world began to collapse this time last year. I don't know how they pulled through, because it's rare that I (or anyone I know) actually buy anything from them, but I'm glad they made it.

I just got the Pier 1 holiday mailer and I fell in love all over again. If you click the link you can poke through an electronic copy of the mailer and join me in saying, "who wouldn't want to eat off of these beautifully adorned tables? who wouldn't want to swoosh their pancakes around in the last bits of syrup on a happy sunflower plate? who wouldn't want to dig out the last scrumptious bites of an apple crumble to see a gleeful snowman waving?" I heart Pier 1.

When I was younger, I used to go through catalogs from stores I loved, like Pier 1, and add up how much I could spend if I just let myself go. I just totaled how much I would spend on just dinnerware and came to nearly $300. If I added furniture and decor, it would easily top $1,000. I have crafted entire Christmas Wish Lists from the Pier 1 mailers and website. My current obsession are these glasses:
Fortunately, at $8 a piece, they are an affordable indulgence.

Tonight, we had Seitanic Red & White Bean Jambalaya and again, the rice did not cook completely in the time it was supposed to, even though I followed the instructions to a T. Also, while contemplating the huge amount leftover after Mister had 3 bowls and I had 2, Mister asked a very insightful question:
"Does it say 6 servings or serves 6?"
"What?"
"Well, maybe it serves 6 with three bowls like I had."
I open the cookbook and find that indeed, it says that it "serves 6" not that there are 6 servings. I still think the 1 is missing and will magically appear in future reprintings.
Also, I feel terrible saying this, because I know my mother reads my blog and she gave me the cast iron dutch oven for Christmas last year, but tonight was the first time I used it. It was so awesome! I don't see it being something that I use regularly, in place of my stock pot, primarily because it is so damn heavy, which is why I haven't used it until now. Well, that and the fact that it didn't have a home until I "renovated" the kitchen. It was really neat, though, and because it is so sturdy, it added an element of fearlessness to my cooking. Since I made the jambalaya in the dutch oven and actually baked it like the recipe says, rather than stubbornly simmering it stovetop, I had hoped that the rice would magically be done when it was supposed to be done. However, once again, Mister and I were thwarted by impatience and crunched on some not-so-tender kernals after it really should have been done.

Anyway, how cool is it that my dutch oven is campfire-ready?

It almost makes me want to go camping.
Almost.

A final anecdote before I share the coming week's menu:
Angst is getting used to having his "safe place" in the middle of the living room. It's really quite amusing how he will actually run to his crumpled up blanket and beat-up pillow if he feels unsafe and then stand on it or put one paw on it as if to say "home base - I'm safe!" I think he's still trying to figure out what happened to his chair, but is getting a little more comfortable with the new set-up. He was adorably trying to get on his (little bitty) pillow today, and the sight of his 17 lb body trying to fit onto a 10-inch pillow cracked me up, so I thought I'd share:
Without further ado, then, here is the new menu:

1. Country Captain Stew from the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. This is a fun soup recipe, once again combining the terrific toothsome texture of baked cubes of tofu with a savory broth with hearty winter vegetables. The twist, of course, is that there is an equal number of potatoes and apples, and if you don't know by now that I love soup with fruit in it, you haven't been paying attention.

2. Mediterranean Chopped Salad, also from VTCC. This is a fabulous and very satisfying salad that I discovered, appropriately enough, over the summer. I was flipping through the pages of my cookbook and was about to skip the salad chapter, since autumn makes me yearn for hearty, savory, gut-heating food, but I remembered this salad and thought I would like to make it before it gets absurdly cold to have salad for dinner.

3. Five-Spice Vegetables and Tofu with Green Tea Rice. And this time, I will double check that my tofu makes it home. Once he's in the fridge, we'll have to find some way to prevent his escape...

4. Moroccan Mishmash

5. Seitan Cacciatore from The Accidental Vegan. This is another of the recipes that made me buy the book, so I figured I would try it out this week. It sounds fun and hearty, to balance out my silly salad, and I can remember my mom making Chicken Cacciatore when we were all still living at home (and eating meat).

6. Potato Corn Chowder, also from The Accidental Vegan. If this doesn't satisfy the heartiness I seek, then there is no hope for me.

One last thing before I go - Chocolate Covered Katie is hosting a giveaway as part of her effort to drive traffic to her blog. Just go to her blog to read more about it - you could win $35 towards the purchase of any item on cookware.com.

well...wasn't this post just linkalicious?

the cedars of south street

Living where I live in Philadelphia is both a blessing and a curse. It turned out to be in the opposite order last night, but I think I'd prefer the happy ending anyway. The Phillies lost the last game of the World Series on Wednesday, so I don't know why there were so many people around on Thursday, but when I got home from work I drove around for 45 minutes looking for parking. I would love to give a parking etiquette lesson right now, but I'll just get myself all riled up again.

Anyway, after looking for parking for as long as it took me to drive home, I was so hungry I couldn't even imagine trying to cook. Actually, that's not true - when I thought about cooking it made me angry and frustrated, so we took advantage of the blessing part of our neighborhood: the wide array of restaurants amenable to our menu requirements within only a few blocks walking distance.

In case I haven't done so before, let me take this opportunity to plug for Cedar's on 2nd Street, just below South Street. Mister and I have been faithful diners here for most of our 8 years together. The food is fantastic, the service absolutely cannot be beat, and they have recently redecorated and it looks far more expensive than it is. It is a Lebanese restaurant and they feature many of the Mediterranean delights we favor at his family dinners - hummus, baba ganoush, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), falafel, pita, spanakopita (spinach pie), an amazing Imam Baldi, and of course, fries. I think one of the more charming things there is that they serve the ketchup for the fries in a tiny silver gravy boat that looks like Aladdin's lamp.

The most charming thing, honestly, is the staff. We have gone there countless times over the last five years that we've lived within walking distance. Because it's so close and so reasonably priced, we go there the way someone else might go to a diner. It's normally not a big event, just somewhere to go when cooking dinner isn't on my list of things-I-want-to-do. I do not think we have ever had the same server twice. There must be a revolving door for employment, though I'm pretty sure it's a family affair. Perhaps when the family members come to America, they work in the restaurant until they get established, but we have also never had a bad server.

Last night, though, I think we had the best server ever. His name is "Ronnie" and he had an almost puppy-like smile, which he offered readily every time he approached our table. His favorite phrases seemed to be "Thank you" and "You are very welcome." In fact, I have never believed so completely that I was, indeed, welcome. He said those words more genuinely than anyone I can remember. That really made it a nice night - Mister and I agreed that Ronnie rocked.

So, plug: Next time you find yourself near South Street, do your mouth, stomach, wallet, and mind a favor and eat a meal at Cedar's.

Tonight, we had a meal we haven't had since July - I made the Mandarin Tofu with Broccoli and Peppers again. It was so photogenic! These pictures are much better than the first ones, and if you want the recipe, go ahead and click the link.
It's very pretty and the tofu was absolutely out of this world - it just soaked up every bit of marinade and caramelized beautifully when I basted it with more. The vegetables + mandarin oranges are very attractive, with their rainbow of nutrition, but they actually did not taste like anything, not even vegetables. That was profoundly disappointing. I don't know if they tasted like nothing because the tofu tasted so much like something or if I just didn't do something right, but it was unfortunate. Also, the rice tasted like water.

wednesday is my favorite holiday

Well, okay, Wednesdays aren't actually holidays in the traditional sense of the word. I am just thoroughly enjoying my reconstructed One-Serving Wednesdays. I kind of messed up tonight and made two servings, but it will be a nice addition to the leftover Tomato-Spelt soup for lunch tomorrow.
Due to an amazing line of cars passing through a 5-mile-long construction zone on my drive home tonight, I actually only got home shortly before Mister. I scrubbed the two veggies that would become my dinner and set about chopping them and Mister walked in during the transition from jewel yam to brussels sprouts and asked cautiously (and little incredulously), "What are you doing?" To which I replied "Roasting some vegetables." That was pretty much the end of the conversation.

I knew Mister doesn't like yams/sweet potatoes, but apparently he hates brussels sprouts "more than anything else in the world," to use his words. I feel a little guilty that our home reeks of them right now, but it's way too cold to open a window. I had never had them before - I think my mother knew better than to try to convince my sister and I that they were worth eating. Or perhaps she joins my husband in anti-fandom, but either way, tonight was my first experience with them. I decided to try to appreciate them in their purest form (short of being raw) so I just tossed them and the yam bits with some olive oil and kosher salt and roasted them for about 20 minutes at 425 F.

I'll admit that when they were sizzling away in the oven, I was growing a little concerned about the less-than-appetizing smell emanating from the kitchen. It was with more than just a touch of trepidation that I bit into my first little sprout. Fortunately, from my reading about these tiny little cabbages, I was fully expecting the green, cabbagey taste that quickly filled my mouth. I think that because I was prepared, so to speak, my experience was better than it might have been otherwise. I like them! Especially the crispy bits where they tried to forge a forever-friendship with the roasting pan.
To my surprise and delight, I discovered that I am not the only person celebrating these little fellas this week! Jess, of Get Sconed! devoted her blog to raving about them and bragging about her $2.49 stalk from the farmers market. Her preferred cooking method is also roasting, but she prefers to squeeze citrus over the sprouts... I think I'm a more savory gal and will stick to my simple but perfect adornment of salt. Next time, though, I think I will add a clove or two of garlic for fun.

every month has a name

I'm not talking about the names they print at the top of the calendar, either. Have you noticed that every month is National [insert worthy cause here] Month? They all have their specifically colored ribbons, too. I'm starting to lose track - pink ribbons are for breast cancer, blue for prostate, yellow for soldiers...and Lance Armstrong, but didn't he have prostate cancer? Also, because there are more than 12 worthy causes, a month might actually have multiple names and corresponding ribbons, walks, and other fund- and awareness-raising activities.

We started simply enough - February was Black History month, a whole 28 days devoted to recognizing the countless valuable contributions black people of varying ethnicities (not always African) have made to this country. In June we have a Race for the Cure complete with blue ribbons, held around Father's day, to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, even though we had the breast cancer run-walk in May because of Mother's day (non-mothers don't get cancer). They even change the lights on the Philadelphia skyline to be pink in honor of this month. October 1 is also World Vegetarian Day and kicked off the Vegan Month of Food. November is Diabetes Awareness month - I think those ribbons are red - but we had our Diabetes walk in October....you get the point.

Or do you? A blog I read more or less daily named October Hug-A-Carb month and devoted the whole month to the worship of grains and bananas and all those other things that are so bad for you and make you fat. Oops, that's overeating - I confused myself. Moving on then, at the close of Hug-A-Carb month, she wanted to keep the love flowing and in a decidedly against-the-grain move, she has made November a month devoted to kindness. She is paid a certain amount of money based on visits to her site and in return for people trying to click to and through her blog more this month, she will be donating every last cent to charity. For more details about Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness, please read her wonderful blog.

Trying to do my part, I want to share about my breakfast this morning - it was amazing. I had read on Katie's blog about melting a banana to put in your oatmeal and I thought to myself, "Silly girl - bananas don't melt!" Guess what - if you cut them into smallish pieces and microwave them for a minute, they sure do! It was one of the most amazing things I've woken up to, short of my parents' Christmas tree on Christmas morning when I was a child. To sum it up:

melted banana + oatmeal + vanilla soygurt = breakfast bliss

Try it - you won't regret it.

Finally, dinner tonight was Miso-Ginger Red Beans with Broccoli. I think I needed more broccoli or less sauce, because there was definitely a disparity between their volumes. It was still very, very good, though, because miso is awesome. In addition to tasting really good, it has a ton of health benefits (as long as you don't boil it - that kills the friendly enzymes), which might explain why there are so many Japanese centenarians. The smell is a little strange and it doesn't really look like something you would want to eat out of the container, but once you taste it, it's well worth all the courage-gathering it took to try it. Just don't read the ingredients.

MoFo no mo'

Happy November! I can't believe October is gone already - it passed so quickly, especially with all the fun writing and great reading out there in the blogosphere. I am so glad I participated in VeganMoFo 2009; it was such a good experience. I feel like my blogging is much more interactive now, mainly because I discovered from comments people left that someone really was reading my blog and it wasn't just my little online journal of cooking adventures. I'm sad to see it end, but I have greatly increased my repertoire of blogs to read, and after a month of being very conscientious about blogging damn near every day, it was very liberating to take last night off.

So....last night we finally actually did something to acknowledge and celebrate two beautiful years of marriage. We did not get a couch this weekend, and therefore did not watch a movie (a very specific one) like we had intended, but we looked at couches and had dinner at a cute Italian place just down the street, La Fourno.

When I first started getting into cooking with seasonal foods, I had a little "cheat" card at the front of my (overstuffed) recipe box to tell me what fruits and vegetables were in season. There were two reasons I did this - first, I figured seasonal produce would probably taste better since it had a better chance of being ripe. Second, I figured it would save us some money, rather than paying $8 for a bunch of asparagus in December. When I stopped using the recipes I had tucked away in that heavy little box, I stopped referring to that card, quite by accident. What I'm getting at is this:

I don't know when melon season is, but the best honeydew ever adorned our salad.

Oh! And it was made with a mixture of romaine and arugula, so I made good on my promise to eat raw arugula in a salad sooner than I expected! Anyway, the salad was the evening's special and when the waiter described it Mister and I were unanimous (not hard to do with only two people...) about starting our meal sharing that salad and the fabulous bruschetta they serve. As I mentioned, the base was a bed of romaine and arugula and decorated with halved grape tomatoes, cubed honeydew, and mandarin sections, then finished with a peppery vinaigrette. I don't know where they got that honeydew, but it was seriously the best I have ever had.

Tonight, at Mister's choosing, I made Risotto Mexicano. Things were going well, the peppers, garlic, and tomato were simmering away and the beans were heating. The rice was almost ready to join the party and Mister came in to see how it was going.

Mister: What's it doing?
Me: Simmering.
Mister: Then what?
Me: Then I put the spinach in.

This is where I realize I forgot to buy the spinach. Angst is very disappointed.

Me: Then we eat it.
Mister: What's it go in?
Me: Bowls.
Mister: Do we have chips?
Me: Do you want chips?

Mister heads out to the convenience store down the street on a quest for tortilla chips, spinach, and one ripe banana. He returns with tortilla chips, three not-even-close-to-ripe bananas, and some weird sour gummy candy (no spinach). The chips were organic blue corn Tostitos. I don't know if the organic or blue corn really make a difference, but they taste good and purple food is fun.
The forks are just there for decoration. We ate our whole bowls with the chips.